Transitional Period between Dragonflight and The War Within

Following last week’s announcements at BlizzCon 2023, two of the most notable shotcallers on the World of Warcraft development team answered community questions in a pre-recorded Q&A session. They discussed various topics related to the game’s transitional period between the Dragonflight expansion and the upcoming expansion, The War Within.

Planned Updates Before Dragonflight Ends

Game director Ion Hazzikostas and associate game director Morgan Day confirmed that there will be at least three more planned updates before the conclusion of the Dragonflight expansion. These updates will primarily focus on quality-of-life changes to enhance the overall gaming experience. They aim to polish the game’s landscape before the launch of The War Within. Additionally, one of these updates will introduce the final season of PvE and PvP content in Dragonflight, providing players with new raids and a refreshed Mythic+ pool, similar to the final season of the Shadowlands expansion.

Controversial Decision Regarding The War Within

One of the most controversial decisions surrounding The War Within is the introduction of a three-day early-access period exclusively for players who pre-order the most expensive edition of the expansion. While this decision has received negative feedback from the community, Hazzikostas defended it, referring to the early access as simply a “headstart to leveling up.”

During the early-access period, players will not have access to Mythic dungeons, weekly quests, and high-end pre-raid loot. However, those who pre-order the epic edition of The War Within will likely reach the maximum level before the expansion officially launches for the rest of the player base, granting them a head start in the endgame content. This exclusivity may make the epic edition a highly valuable purchase for players who seek to be among the first to engage in The War Within‘s endgame activities.

Fairness and Competitive Aspect

Hazzikostas reassured players that, despite the early-access period, fairness remains a priority. He emphasized that by the beginning of season one, players who had early access and those who did not will be indistinguishable in terms of any competitive aspect of the game. The goal is to offer increased value while ensuring fairness among players.

Upcoming Changes: Stat Squish and Trading Post

The development team confirmed that The War Within will entail another “stat squish” shortly after the expansion’s release. In World of Warcraft, a stat squish occurs when the damage and healing numbers become excessively high, requiring a reduction in all stats to maintain a manageable numerical system.

Furthermore, the Trading Post will continue to exist in the next expansion, providing players with a familiar feature. It was also confirmed that the upcoming Worldsoul Saga expansions will maintain the same amount of content despite the intention of a faster release schedule.

Release Dates

World of Warcraft: The War Within is currently scheduled for a fall 2024 release. Meanwhile, Patch 10.2, the final major content update for Dragonflight, was released earlier this week.